Hey everyone, I'm new here and could really use your help! I have a Kingston DataTraveler Exodia Onyx USB 3.2 Gen 1 flash drive with 256GB of storage, and I think I might have messed it up. I took it with me to a picnic by the river, and I accidentally let it get damp when I changed out of my wet clothes. It didn't soak through, but it was definitely humid for a while. After about 5-6 hours, I remembered the drive was in my pocket, and when I connected it to the TV, it said the drive might be corrupt. I'm really worried since it wasn't cheap! Has anyone been through something like this? Is there anything I can do to salvage it?
2 Answers
First off, try just letting it sit out for a few days to fully dry. If it doesn’t work after that, you might be out of luck. But sometimes devices can surprise you! If you plugged it in while still damp, there could be damage. Wait for it to dry completely before trying again, then connect it to a computer. There might be a chance to recover some data. I’ve accidentally run flash drives through the wash before, and they still worked after drying out!
You could try this method: get an airtight container, put some tissues in it, and place the flash drive inside. Fill the container with more tissue to cover it up, then close it and leave it in a warm spot, like under sunlight. This should help draw out any moisture. If you have a hairdryer, you can gently warm it, but be careful not to melt anything!
Thanks for the great tips! I really want to save my USB; I won it in a giveaway and it means a lot to me.
I wiped it down a bit, but I’m not sure if it's fully dry inside. It said the device is corrupt and mentioned changing it to device storage, but I don’t want to mess it up more. Should I just wait it out?